Speculations on the origin of the mind have ranged from ghosts to society. Each new theory brings about more speculation and disagreement than the last. Where the mind resides, where it came from and if the brain has any involvement with the concept are common questions that fuel theory paradigms. Those questions are also the foundation of the debate about the roll of experience versus the existence of innate capacities. Steven Pinker theorizes the mind as a computing system created by the brain to fill the gap between innate capacities and capacities missing using common sense and learned critical thinking skills.
Pinker’s conception of the mind is deeply rooted in the Ghost in the Machine. The mind is a vital force of life often associated
…show more content…
Spatial and number senses as well as language are easily noticed in infants. As they grow they begin to notice differences in biology, they experience gravity while beginning to walk and use social psychology to determine the probability of getting what they want and need from specific people. Economics, database and logic come into play when learning social identity and trying on different roles to interact with people. Intuitive economics is not referencing money but the social hierarchy of a given society and the give and take nature of social relationships. For a child that hierarchy is within the family the parents at the top while siblings and social peers reside closer to the bottom. Children quickly learn how to behave around each group and what each group expects from them. Database and logic refers to the more internal functions of the brain as it learns to process and categorize all of this information in relation to the reality around them. These intuitions reflect the development of the brain throughout life as certain areas mature the mind matures with
One of the major differences between humans and animals is our ability to reason and differentiate our actions from our instincts (Barrett, 2011, p. 3). Justin Barrett further explains this distinction in the first chapter of his book, Cognitive Science Religion and Theology. He explains that cognitive science recognizes the uniqueness of the human mind and focuses on explaining the thinking processes that take place(Barrett, 2011, p. 5). This may seem similar to what the field of neuroscience aims to do but, cognitive science is not as interested with the biological functions of the brain. Instead of looking at physical structures Barrett writes, that cognitive science focuses on broader processes such as perception, attention, memory, reasoning and learning (Barrett, 2011, p. 7). All of these processes interact with each other to create the big questions asked in cognitive science. Some of these big underlying questions of cognitive science are explored in this first chapter, questions such as “What is innate?” or “How are mind and bodies
One of the key questions raised by Rupert Sheldrake in the Seven Experiments That Could Change the World, is are we more than the ghost in the machine? It is perfectly acceptable to Sheldrake that humans are more than their brain, and because of this, and in actual reality “the mind is indeed extended beyond the brain, as most people throughout most of human history have believed.” (Sheldrake, Seven Experiments 104)
The human mind is one of the most complex structures the gods had created. It is difficult to understand each brain process as every human being possesses his or her own distinguished thought patterns with different levels of complexities. A person’s mind greatly influences his behavior, which eventually transforms into his habit by becoming embedded into his character. Today, the world of psychology tries to understand everything that a mind can create. However, even before the field of Psychology was introduced and brought into practice, some American writers threw a spotlight on the mechanism of the human brain in their works. On top of this list is an American writer, Edgar Allan
How can the brain be a mind, a conscious person? Recently, some philosophers have argued that human consciousness and cognitive activity, including even our moral cognition and behavior, can best be explained using a connectionist or neural network model of the brain (see Churchland 1995; Dennett 1991 and 1996). (1) Is this right? Can a mass of networked neurons produce moral human agents? I shall argue that it can; a brain can be morally excellent. A connectionist account of how the brain works can explain how a person might be morally excellent in Aristotle's sense of that term.
explanation of where our minds, or consciousness, came from and how we are able to
A review of Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works, in which McGinn elaborates on his theory of the mind.
Research completed on infants, children, and adults across a multitude of cultural environments proposes that no human mind is alike. Spelke found that the four systems on core knowledge are a basis for cognitive systems. This means that some humans learn things easily, while others learn with greater difficulty (Kinzler and Spelke 2007). The core knowledge theory can be seen as both a positive and negative topic. The possible fact that human beings, as well as other species, could potentially be predisposed to cognitive capacities instead of acquiring capacities through experience is an overwhelming and controversial topic. There is not enough research or evidence to deem the core knowledge theory to be an absolute fact, but a strong opinion could be derived. If these cognitive capacities are integrated into us before birth, that would create a strong foundation for building new skills or capacities; it would be difficult to imagine an individual starting their life without this foundation of core symptoms because problems may arise. The core knowledge theory is helpful when studying development because the idea has been apparent in studies since Jean Piaget and could eventually unveil the roots of an evolutionary
Ramachandran, V. S., and Sandra Blakeslee. Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind. New York: Quill, 1999. Print.
When focusing on perception as the main method to approach the pursuit of knowledge, it becomes increasingly difficult to pursue knowledge. Without the proper emphasis on logic, sense perception becomes irrelevant in the pursuit of knowledge. Ever since I was in third grade, I have known a fellow student named Max, who suffers from a disease known as Down Syndrome. Max is unable to efficiently and logically piece together knowledge, because individuals with Down Syndrome suffer from intellectual disability, which varies from “mild to moderate cognitive disability”. While Max was able to make out the sights of his peers and classmates during class, he was intellectually incapable of processing his surroundi...
Evolutionary psychology is a specialist field within the spectrum of psychological enquiry, which seeks to examine and understand some of the predominant reasoning behind the concept of why the human species, whilst biologically similar to other species on the planet, is so very distinct in terms of intelligence and mental progression; demonstrated by the multifaceted and complex social structures we have created. Primary to this domain of evolutionary psychological interest is the notion of ‘theory of mind’, which was developed and advocated by Premack and Woodruff (1978), and has been the topic of fierce discussion and analysis since. It has resulted in manifold research studies and commentaries, regarding the topic, from an extensive range of sources within the academic field of psychology. This essay intends to explore the concept of theory of mind, using examples and research studies to fathom its relevance, application and significance within evolutionary psychology as a whole.
pp. 164-71. LeDoux, J. E. (2002). "The 'Path How Our Brains Become Who We Are. New York: Viking Books, Inc. M. M. Merzenich, J. K. (1983).
The term ‘consciousness’ as it can be defined is the state of one being conscious or aware of one’s own being, existence, thoughts, feelings as well of his surroundings (Consciousness, 2014). It is often found that human beings tend to ignore the fact that consciousness is apparent in their existence. It has been assumed since early times that it is the brain that leads to production of consciousness in an individual. The brain in this case has largely been associated with the mind. While several studies have been conducted trying to determine the relation of consciousness with the brain, direct evidences were hard to find that could imply that brain and consciousness are identical. Rather it could be obtained that the operation of human consciousness can be beyond the brain or the body. Hence the two cannot be said to be identical (Dossey, 2009).
The traditional notion that seeks to compare human minds, with all its intricacies and biochemical functions, to that of artificially programmed digital computers, is self-defeating and it should be discredited in dialogs regarding the theory of artificial intelligence. This traditional notion is akin to comparing, in crude terms, cars and aeroplanes or ice cream and cream cheese. Human mental states are caused by various behaviours of elements in the brain, and these behaviours in are adjudged by the biochemical composition of our brains, which are responsible for our thoughts and functions. When we discuss mental states of systems it is important to distinguish between human brains and that of any natural or artificial organisms which is said to have central processing systems (i.e. brains of chimpanzees, microchips etc.). Although various similarities may exist between those systems in terms of functions and behaviourism, the intrinsic intentionality within those systems differ extensively. Although it may not be possible to prove that whether or not mental states exist at all in systems other than our own, in this paper I will strive to present arguments that a machine that computes and responds to inputs does indeed have a state of mind, but one that does not necessarily result in a form of mentality. This paper will discuss how the states and intentionality of digital computers are different from the states of human brains and yet they are indeed states of a mind resulting from various functions in their central processing systems.
The mind is a collection of various classes of processes that can be studied empirically. To limit the field of mental processes we must follow the criteria of folk psychology. There are three kinds of mind: human, animal and mechanical. But the human mind is the paradigm or model of mind. The existence of mechanical minds is a serious challenge to the materialism or the mind-brain identity theory. Based on this existence we can put forward the antimaterialist argument of machines. Intelligence is a class of mental processes such that the mind is the genus and the intelligence is a species of this genus. The capacity to solve problems is a clear and definite criterion of intelligence. Again, like in the mind, the human intelligence is the paradigm of the intelligence. There are also three kinds of intelligence: human, animal and mechanical. Searle’s Chinese room argument is misleading because Searle believes that it is possible to maintain a sharp distinction between syntax and semantics. The reasonable dualism in the brain-mind problem defends the existence of brain-mental processes, physical-mental processes, and non-physical-mental (spiritual) processes. Constitution of the personal project of life, self-consciousness and free volitions are examples of spiritual processes. Usually the intelligence has been considered the most important quality of human beings, but freedom, or the world of free volitions, is a more specific quality of human beings.
Rene Descartes’ Theory of Ideas has helped to shape our entire world of thought as it applies to all subjects. While it may seem to be an overstatement to say all subjects, it is not. Whether it is science, literature, or the fine arts, all of these meditations require some degree of thought. People think all day long; they are constantly and unknowingly solving problems, analyzing, detecting, observing, questioning, wondering, and sensing; yet they rarely question their ability to do so or where the knowledge comes from. In his studies, Descartes sought to discover the origin of these thoughts and abilities. Is the information in our head learned or have we had it all along and are simply remembering? Why is it that all animals, humans included, acquire a specific set of survival instincts at birth? While Descartes’ theory led to the further investigation and questioning by other philosophers, it also allowed for many discoveries in the world of psychology, as it relates to development and instinctual behavior.